HOLZ-HANDWERK 2022 in Nuremberg: the big reunion
With the HOLZ-HANDWERK exhibition in Nuremberg, one of the big trade fairs of our industry took place again as an in-person event after a long break due to corona. Even though we adequately bridged the interim period with online trade fairs – a live event with personal encounters is still something else. Machines that you can touch, the smell of wood in the air, personal encounters: The atmosphere was great on all four days of the trade fair.
A total of 28,500 visitors from more than 100 countries attended the combined HOLZ-HANDWERK and FENSTERBAU FRONTALE exhibition. As expected, the attendance was lower than at the last trade fair in 2018, but we had high-quality contacts and discussions at the HOMAG booth.
Booth with many attractions
The focus of our trade fair appearance was on complete solutions that significantly facilitate craftsmanship in every workshop. On 1,700 sqm of booth space, we presented a balanced cross-section of our product portfolio, live stage shows, touchpoints as well as genuine world premieres. We showed what modern workshops need: efficient machines and digital solutions that enable both automated furniture production and the manufacture of individual components. In addition to new products such as the DRILLTEQ V-310 or the CENTATEQ N-210, which were shown live for the first time, we also used opportunities for product presentation afforded by digital technology.
One of our highlights was the hybrid product presentation of the virtual warehouse using the SAWTEQ B-300. Thanks to iVP (Intelligent Virtual Planning), we designed the warehouse 1:1 on the screen. iVP was also used to demonstrate the digital twin of the DRILLTEQ V-310. In both cases, visitors were able to experience virtual three-dimensional copies of the product, both on the touch display, on VR (Virtual Reality) glasses or directly on their smartphones. They could then make the comparison to the physical machine a few meters away – a hybrid success model that will be remembered.
"Praise to the entire HOMAG Group as well. Your exhibition stand was the highlight of this year’s trade fair for us. Such an extensive trade fair program including the large number of machines and systems on display was very impressive. I hope that you will stick to this trade fair concept."
Maik Terhürne, Strategic Projects and Production Processes, hülsta-werke
Digital solutions are in demand
Interest in digital solutions, whether for series production or craftspeople, continues to grow significantly. On the one hand, we noticed this at the stations where we presented machine-related software such as woodWOP 8 and woodStore 8 or digital assistants such as ServiceBoard, ServiceAssist and the new digital job folder productionManager. On the other hand, however, this also became apparent by the interest shown for our digital practice path. Step by step, interested persons clicked their way through the applications on touch displays, thus developing an almost playful understanding of the functions of the respective application.
Visitors received basic information on our event stage during presentations and live shows. The information became more specialized at the individual workstations. There, we used iVP, among other things, to recreate the real workshop situation of individual craft businesses by virtually visualizing their workshop. This made it possible to discuss workshop concepts and test out the modularity of HOMAG machines.
Valuable personal contacts
It has become apparent how important and pleasant personal contact is – when reuniting with long-standing customers and partners, as well as when making initial contact with potential new customers. We were able to provide interested visitors with intensive advice and they could discuss their specific concerns with our experts. At our trade press conference, we also re-engaged in personal exchange with over 30 press representatives.
A successful trade fair is always a joint effort of teams from all areas of the company based on market-oriented products. The positive feedback from customers is a great motivation for all HOMAG employees and an incentive for the future.
We are already looking forward to the next big live events: Our HOMAG Treff 2022 in Holzbronn from September 27 to October 1, 2022, and the WEINMANN Treff from November 16 to 17 in St. Johann-Lonsingen. That is where we will once more have the opportunity to foster the important personal exchange.
Your HOMAG Marketing Team